Pass the Crayons
by JenSquared
Summary: Harry starts having dreams of his childhood and a long lost friend comes back in his mind. Will he find out who the person in his dreams is? Ch. 10 will be up on July 7 to all you faithful readers!! R/R! More fluffy moments yet to come! ^_-
1. A Friend Forgotten

Ch.1: A Friend Forgotten

Harry laid himself onto his bed, drawing the curtains around him. He probably had one of the best days of his life. He had successfully changed his feather into a crow in transfiguration without the aid of Hermione. He earned ten points for Gryffindor by correctly answering Professor Binn's question about the Wizard-Muggle wars of 1294. 

Professor Dumbledore, who was acting as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher until the post could be filled, gave the class study time. Snape was absent with a nasty cold and the substitute seemed to enjoy giving the Slytherins detention, much to the delight of the Gryffindors.

Yes, everything seemed to be going good for Harry. His friends seemed to be more loyal than ever. Not one fight had risen between them, even between Ron and Hermione who constantly bickered.

Harry began to think about his friends. He felt so lucky to have such good friends, and luckier to have any friends at all. Harry began to think about his past. He had never had any friends before he attended Hogwarts. Dudley had threatened anyone who even looked at Harry with any emotion other than absolute hate.

He did have a friend once though, it was for a very short time and he couldn't have been more than six years old. Harry fell asleep with many memories flooding his mind.

************

Harry sat alone at a table, constructing a tower out of building blocks. That was, of course, before Dudley came over and knocked it over. Everyone laughed at him, pointing at his now ruined skyscraper. One person didn't laugh though. A small child came over and said, "I'll help you rebuild it." Harry knew the person, he felt very warm-hearted when this child was around him. 

But why couldn't Harry recognize the child? He couldn't even tell if it was a boy or girl. He couldn't make out a face, a voice, or any identifiable features. But Harry definitely knew who the child was. The only problem was that his mind wouldn't tell him exactly who.

_Tap, Tap._ Harry woke startled to see Hedwig pecking at the window outside the tower. _Why are you here so early?_ Harry thought to himself. _Why couldn't you come during breakfast when the post is supposed to come?_ Frustrated, not only because it was the middle of the night but also since he was close to figuring out who the mystery classmate was, Harry got up to let Hedwig in. Hedwig bit his finger affectionately as Harry took the note from her.

__

Dear Harry,

How are you? I don't have much time to write this so I'll make it short and sweet. Meet me at the cave on the hill the next time you have a Hogsmeade weekend. I'll talk to you then. Bring Hermione and Ron if you wish.

Snuffles

Harry stared down at the letter. Sirius wanted to meet them again. Harry began to think that it must be important since he seemed to be in such a rush that he couldn't write it. Harry tucked the letter under his mattress and went back to sleep hoping to figure out the dream he had early.

************

Hermione tossed in her sleep. She couldn't see the face. Why couldn't she see the face? There she was, no more than five or six years old, sitting alone in a corner of the classroom.

"Hey, do you want to help me with this puzzle?" she asked a girl who passed her. The girl gave her an odd look and mumbled something about not playing with people like her. Hermione sat alone again, staring across the room at another child. The child looked very familiar, but for some reason she could not tell who he or she was.

A large, hefty boy wobbled over to him or her, knocking over a tower that he or she had been working on all morning out of building blocks. Hermione felt sorry for her classmate. She herself knew what it was like to be rejected by the other children. She had been picked on before, called names like bossy, goody-two-shoes, and brainiac. She knew exactly what he or she was going through. 

Hermione got up and walked over to the child. She knew she had found someone who she could easily make friends with. But she was struggling. _Why can't I tell whom that kid is?_ she thought. She continued her way over and when she reached the child, she said, "I'll help you rebuild it." The boys smiled back at her.

"Ouch!" Hermione screamed. She opened her eyes to see Crookshanks going mad, hissing and spitting on her bed. She saw the problem; Crookshanks had one of his claws stuck to a blanket and was wiggling all over creation to free himself. She grabbed him ad freed his claw. Crookshanks, who had managed to scratch Hermione two more times, finally settled down. 

Hermione laid herself down again and stared at the ceiling. She wanted to fall asleep as soon as possible. She wanted to find out who the child was. Why couldn't she remember who he or she was? Why couldn't she remember her first real friend?

She rolled onto her side and closed her eyes hoping for the best.


	2. A New Light Shines

Disclaimer: JenSquared (aka American Jen and British Jen) is secretly J.K. Rowling. We own Harry Potter, we are in fact aliens and yes, and we are also secret agents.

American Jen: Do not listen to her. We only _wish_ that we were J.K. Rowling and we are absolutely not aliens. We only own the plot of our little story. Enjoy! 

Ch.2: A New Light Shines

Harry woke up early the next morning very tired and very angry and slightly blinded, the early morning sunshine pierced his eyes as it broke eagerly through the window. He sat up groggily, desperately hammering his head to see if he could remember the identity of his mysterious friend. Harry rubbed his eyes, ashamed of himself for having forgotten the person in the first place. How? He didn't know, but it was unusual. Harry had had only a few friends before he came to Hogwarts, but none of them had ever lasted that long for fear of Dudley. No-one enjoyed being his punch bag. But he was surprised all the same that he had forgotten one of them, and knew that he wouldn't be able to rest until he found out who it was. 

Quietly, Harry pulled back the curtains that surrounded his bed. From the faint sound of snoring he guessed that his fellow room-mates were still fast asleep. Silently he tiptoed across the wooden floor to take a shower before heading down to breakfast. 

"Maybe that'll help me remember the mystery friend," he whispered to himself.

************

Hermione woke up frustrated. She hadn't been able to get back to sleep properly, and even when she did, she had slept a dreamless sleep. It was more than frustrating when you couldn't recall a memory or remember something that you knew was important. But Hermione was rather disappointed in herself, if she was so clever then why couldn't she even remember a friend from her past. She was sure that her brain held a ton of information, spells, curses, dates from history. . . the list was endless. She would gladly give up some of her knowledge to find out who it was in her dream. 

"At least I got some homework done." As a result in her unsatisfactory ability to sleep, Hermione had finished her potions essay on the draught of the living, and had compiled a very detailed chart for her next runes class. All that along with her study timetable for the week, Hermione felt pleased that at least she would be able to go to sleep early that night. 

Hermione sat up slowly, rubbing her tired eyes. Her face and arms ached, and her stomach rumbled rather loudly. Time for breakfast, she told herself.

************

Harry helped himself to a slice of steaming toast, hoping desperately that it would wake him up. First up was potions with Snape and the Slytherins, and that was the last lesson that he wanted to fall asleep in.

"Good morning Harry." Harry jumped, not noticing the person standing in front of him. It was Hermione. 

"Hello Hermione," he replied. She looked rather tired in his eyes; the bags were clearly evident under her large chestnut eyes. Her hair looked a lot bushier than normal as well, and she was carrying a book that looked far too heavy for her. "Catching up with a bit of light reading this morning?" he asked her as she sat down opposite him, grabbing a slice of toast rather harshly in her free hand. 

"Haha Harry, yes I was actually. I was just searching for a potion that could help me with something." She replied before she took a rather large mouthful of her pasty ravenously. Hermione had thought about her dream carefully as she got dressed, and she was sure that she had read about a spell that helped with retrieving lost memories in a book somewhere.

"That's our Hermione," Harry replied with a grin as he watched her rather bemused as she gulfed her breakfast down in record time. "When in trouble, consult a book!"

"Well it's better than your method of solving problems, at least I try to solve mine."

"Anything that I can help you with?" he asked, wondering what on earth her problem could be. 

Hermione hesitated, not sure whether or not she should tell him. Of course it wasn't embarrassing or anything terrible, but she wasn't sure how he'd react. _'What if he thinks that I might not remember him in a few years time? Then he won't talk to me or be friend and I couldn't stand that. I love him too much and I'd hate to loose him. Wait, did I just say I loved him?'_

Harry watched Hermione slightly worried. She had been sitting silent for 5 minutes now, her eyes glazed over and not noticing him as he stared at her. It reminded him of the look of a trapped lion in a pen, the fire in the eye that slowly burns out .Even through this Harry couldn't help but notice that Hermione's eyes were a beautiful chestnut brown, sparkling in the light.

__

'Stop it!' he told himself firmly, shaking his head._ 'She's your best friend. She's no Cho.' _

"Hermione?" he asked timidly. "Are you alright?" He waved one of his hands in front of her face, 

"Huh, oh sorry Harry! I . . . um, it's nothing to worry about it. . . it's um, just some trouble with my homework." 

Now Harry was no idiot, and he knew that what Hermione had just said was a lie. She never had trouble on her homework, and if she did it would be because she was ill. And the second reason was that her nose kept scrunching up in a rather cute way; and it only did that when she was lying. 

"Sure it's nothing, whatever you say. Anyway, I got a letter from Sirius last night. It came in the middle of the night and woke me up." He told her as she began to flick through the pages rather anxiously. 

"That explains why you look so tired then," she replied as she reached out for another slice of toast. "If it helps, I didn't sleep very well either. Bad dream."

"He says he wants to meet us when we next go down to Hogsmeade. It sounds rather urgent."

"You don't think anyone's spotted him, do you?" Hermione asked him distraughtly. 

"I hope not, but I don't think he's been down to the village a lot, and he always stays a dog. . . "

"I guess, but I'm still worried about him. I just wish that we could prove him innocent, and then you both would be happier because he'd be free and you could go and live with him." Hermione stifled a yawn, and began to look through her book again. Harry was content to just sit there in silence, watching her as she read, her delicate brows knitting together every now and then. In fact, it felt like-

"Morning guys," Ron plonked himself down next to Harry, reaching out for a slice of toast. He munched it noisily, with his mouth open for the world to see. 

"Ron, please close your mouth when you're eating, it's disgusting to see your half chewed food." 

Harry smiled, he was sat with his two best friends eating breakfast and looking forwards towards the weekend. He was truly blessed with having two great best friends, but sometimes he felt like he wanted something more . . .

End of Ch.2

JenSquared would like to thank the following:

*k00lgirl1808: Thank you

*Oria: Cheers, we like to think that this is original as well, you wait for the twists in the plot that we'll come up with

*jandl: We're glad you love this fic, we love you for loving it! We hope you enjoy this chapter.

*Englishgirl: Thank you

*hermione_smarts23: You're very kind!

*tomzgurl77: We hope you like the idea that we come up with next as well! Thank you!

*hpdancer92: You're too kind! Thank you!

*Jo: Harry and Hermione, are, will be and are going to be together forever! We're glad you agree!

*Leah: Of course this is a romance! We are devoted to writing about the eternally meant for couple! 

*Ice: Ohhhh! Thank you so much, you're the first too put us your fav. List. We love you!

*Emily: We shall make sure that this gets added to the next book, it is our next objective as secret agents! (You'd better keep reading this cousin… I mean complete stranger… or I'll tell my mommy on you (A.J))

To everyone who has read this fic: Thank you, we love you! Don't forget to keep reviewing!


	3. The Theft

Disclaimer: No, we do not own anything! Only the plot of the story… and our shoes. Other than that we do not own a thing. Well there are our computers, we do own those. And our pets. But other than that we do not own a thing! Actually I (American Jen) do own an awful lot of clothes. And books. Not to mention my extensive Monty Python and Beatles merchandise. But other than that I do not own anything and I'm sure that British Jen owns nothing either… except of course her clothes and shoes… and books…

Chapter 3: The Theft

It seemed like potions class lasted forever, even more than usual with it being a double class. Snape kept rambling on about cleaning potions and the different variations that exist. Harry was slowly falling asleep, Ron was doodling on some parchment, and even Hermione seemed to be taking notes only every alternative sentence. They had already lost ten points due to another cauldron falling victim to Neville.

Just as Harry was about to close his eyes and drift into a peaceful slumber, a piece of crumpled parchment landed on his head. "Ouch." He lifted his head and stared at the wrinkled globe of paper that now sat before him. He also noticed a snickering Malfoy across the room.

"Is there a problem, Mr. Potter?" Snape asked spotting the parchment in front of him. "And what would this be?" Snape picked up the parchment, unraveled it and read to himself. A small smile crept across his face. "I always had suspicions about you two," he stated handing the parchment back to Harry. "Detention, Potter, and five points from Gryffindor for writing things that don't apply to my lessons."

Harry looked down at the note. It read "Harry Loves Hermione" all over it. Harry looked across the room at Malfoy who was trying as best as he could not to burst out laughing.

Class ended five minutes later. Harry packed up and rushed out of the room as quickly as he possibly could. Ron caught up with him. "What was that about?" he asked curiously. 

"Nothing. Just one of Malfoy's many tricks to get me in trouble with Snape."

"I'll get him, don't you worry! I'll curse him."

"I wouldn't try that," warned Harry. He remembered his second year when Ron had attempted to curse Malfoy. Of course, his wand was broken and the hex backfired on Ron, causing him to cough up slugs for most of the rest of the day. He hoped that by now, their fifth year, Ron would have learned his lesson.

"So, what did the note say?" Ron looked at Harry carefully, waiting for an answer. Harry looked behind him only to see Hermione with her nose stuck in a book, apparently not paying attention to anyone or anything around her.

"It said," he told Ron in a low voice, "Harry loves Hermione." Ron looked behind them as Harry had before to see that Hermione was still reading, and didn't seem to have heard Harry.

"Only Draco would say that kind of thing. I mean of course it isn't true."

"Yeah." Harry looked back at Hermione who was still reading. She had one hand holding the book, and one hand busy twirling a strand of hair. _She looks pretty when she plays with her hair like that. What am I thinking? No, I'm not going to let Malfoy get to my head. I do not, absolutely do not, love Hermione in any way other than a friend._

He looked forward, not even realizing that he had been walking the whole time and stood in the Great Hall for lunch. He, Ron, and Hermione walked to the Gryffindor table and sat down. Actually, Hermione didn't sit down.

"I have to go to the library. I'll see you two later," she said as she rushed off.

"Of course! It's only two weeks into the year and she's already rushing off to the library," Ron stated sarcastically. Harry watched Hermione walk away, secretly wanting to go with her.

************

Hermione sat at a small round table in the back of the library, with piles of books around her. She kept searching; looking for the potion that would help her. The first book she read didn't help and the mystery person in her dreams was bothering her.

"Ten books," she sighed to herself. "Ten books and no potions or charms to regain memories. They must all be in the restricted section. I wish Harry were here so I could use his invisibility cloak."

Hermione began to think about the situation. If she didn't find a spell then the dream would probably haunt her for the rest of the school year. She absolutely needed to find the identity of her long lost friend. She was desperate over a problem that most people would just ignore. But, she knew what she had to do. Hermione put back the books and fled from the library to her Arithmancy class.

************

Harry and Ron walked down the stairs from the North Tower. Divination class had just ended. Professor Trelawney had, of course, predicted Harry's demise, as was a tradition of every year. This year she decided to add a little more drama by predicting that Ron would die with him. 

They walked carefully through the halls, hoping not to run into Malfoy and his cronies. After what happened this morning with Malfoy's dirty plan, which landed Harry detention tomorrow night with Snape, Harry didn't want to have any more problems today.

Arriving at their Defense against the Dark Arts Class, they walked inside to see Dumbledore sitting at the front desk, like he had done for the last two weeks. "When do you think we're going to get our real teacher?" Ron asked.

"I have no idea. Everyone is two afraid to take the post." Harry searched the room and found Hermione sitting at the front of the room doing some Arithmancy homework. Harry automatically knew that Dumbledore had given them another free period. Ron and Harry walked over to her and took a seat.

"Now that everyone has arrived, I would like to make an announcement. Your new Defense Teacher will be hear within the next three or four weeks, hoping that everything goes well." Dumbledore looked around the room, and Harry could have sworn that Dumbledore gave him a wink. 

"Until then, you will have this class as a free period for today and next week's classes. After that, I want you to start reading your books on Dark Arts, so that you will have some knowledge of this year's studies. You will, of course, have to work extra hard the first few weeks that your new teacher is here, since you will be far behind. Now, I will let you get back to your work."

"Wait, Professor, who is our new teacher?" Hermione asked.

"I am sorry, Miss Granger, but I cannot say. He has wished me to keep it a surprise." Everyone got back to work, but Harry, Ron, and Hermione decided to talk about their mystery teacher.

"It doesn't matter who it is. He's only going to stay for the year, if he's lucky, and then we'll get another one next year. Maybe the position really is cursed." Ron picked up his quill and doodled on his parchment.

"I don't think the position is _really_ cursed. I think its bad luck and people just blame it on a curse because they are afraid to take the job," said Hermione.

"Well, I don't care who it is as long as they don't perform illegal curses on us again," stated Ron. "Hey, are you okay Harry? You haven't said anything." Ron looked down to see Harry with his head on the table, sleeping.

"He must've had a rough night sleeping," Hermione said. She stared down at Harry, looking at his untidy jet-black hair. She listened to him breathing, and she soon noticed that she had slowed down her breathing to match his. _What am I doing?_ She thought. _Why am I trying to match my breathing to his? I should be paying attention to my homework, not Harry. I don't even know why I'm paying any attention to him in the first place_.

Hermione got back to work, Harry still sleeping and Ron talking to Neville about Divination. Half way through the class, Hermione walked up to Professor Dumbledore.

"Professor -um- may I go to the -um- lavatory?" she asked.

"Of course Miss Granger."

************

It was late, close to midnight, and Harry and Ron sat in the Common room chatting. Hermione got up, said goodnight to them, and walked up to the girl's dormitories. "Merlin, I'm hungry," complained Ron.

"I don't see why," laughed Harry. "You had three helpings of everything tonight at dinner!"

"Yeah, well, I'm a growing boy, I need food."

"You sound like my aunt trying to defend Dudley. I have an idea. Let's go down to the kitchens and get some more pumpkin pie. I'll go get my cloak."

Three minutes went by and Harry hadn't come down from the dormitory. Ron decided that he'd better go see what was keeping him. Upon reaching the fifth year dorms, he saw Harry kneeling by his trunk, clothes tossed all across the floor around him.

"What are you doing, Harry?"

"I don't think that we'll be going down to the kitchens tonight."

"Why not?"

"It's my cloak, Ron. It's gone!"

************

Thank you to the following people for reviewing our story:

LyssaQuill (dont feel like loggin in @ i m lazy. harry rulez): Thank-you, that was a good idea, the site takes ages to update! We're glad you love the story! ^_^

Kateydidnt: Thank-you! :)

Dave: Cheers – Here's the next chapter! ^_^

Leah: We hope that Harry and Hermione get together in the next book too! We do like Ron, we do, but we think that it just doesn't look right for him and Hermione to be together. But like we've said before, some people can see it and we respect them. Everyone is entitled to there own opinion! H/Hr forever! :) 

Oceansun: Thank-you for letting us know that Gryffindor is spelt wrong! It shall be changed shortly. ^_^ (a.j.- it already has been changed)

k00lgirl1808: Here's the next chapter, we're far from over yet! Thanks! :)

Liliana-Suger: We are working on our spelling and grammar, thanks for your review. :) 

tomzgurl77: We haven't decided who'll figure it out first. . . we'll just have to wait and see and you'll have to keep on reading! Thank-you! :)

hermione-smarts23: I (British Jen) haven't got a clue what Sirius is going to say, but I think that American Jen has an idea! She won't tell me! Thanks for reviewing! :)

Vivian Marie: It does sound cute, we can imagine a bushy haired Hermione and a scruffy haired Harry placing block after block on top of each other. . . Thank- you ^_^

Ice: Wow! We're on your favourites list! Yey! Cheers, that means more than a lot to us! Here's the next chapter! 

hpdancer92: You don't have to wait much longer! :)

~*Emily*~ (loudane@msn.com): hmm, so you're not related in any way, shape or form to American Dream? You're too kind! ^_^

If British Jen has forgotten to mention a reviewer, then she is terribly sorry! It is hard trying to find out who's reviewed and who she has already thanked! If she has forgotten someone, then thank-you anyway! We love you and hoped you liked it so far! Cheers to everyone! 


	4. Watching Eyes

Disclaimer: I, British Jen, own a lot of things. For example, I own lots of CD's and DVD's, books and clothes, but the best thing I got for Christmas was Harry Potter. My Mummy and Daddy bought him and his friends for me! They're all mine now! ^_^

American Jen- You wish!!!!! I always thought that you might have a crush on Snape though….

Chapter 4: Watching Eyes 

Hermione crept nervously along the corridors making sure that she kept herself inside the shadows that lurked in the darkness. She slid one foot after the other, slowly and carefully she made her way towards the library. She was finding it hard to make out where she was. The dim light that was emitting from the oil lamp hidden under the invisibility cloak did little to help brighten up the passageway.

It was a strange commodity that Hermione could navigate her way blindfolded to the library from the common room during the daytime, but at night she found the task much more difficult. It was even harder now, she had to be careful in case the professors were prowling around. She knew that she was breaking the cardinal rule as a prefect, sneaking around the school after ours, but Hermione was desperate to find out who the person in her dreams was. 

__

'Maybe I'm just out of my mind, I mean what does it matter if I find out who this person is. It's not they're going to be like the best friend in the world or my soul mate or anything. It's not like I can write them letter going 'Hey, how are you? I was the girl that helped rebuild your tower when someone knocked it down. Oh, and by the way, I've been having dreams about you lately, just thought I should let you know.' That sounds so stupid Hermione! Just get to the library quick.' 

She continued to coach herself in a similar fashion until she reached the main doors to the library. She heaved a sigh of relief when she slipped through the doors and the familiar comforting smell of books swam up her nose, invigorating her mind. Not wishing to spend any more time than necessary, Hermione threw the cloak off and onto one of the many scattered tables. She ran as quickly as she could into the restricted section, under the rope and through the door, her heart pounding. _'Harry and Ron would laugh at you now, you're nervous like hell and you've only snuck into the library! Well Harry wouldn't laugh too much, he'd understand that this was important and he'd reassure you. He's so sweet sometimes, he's- STOP IT! He's your best bloody friend Hermione, get a grip.'_

Hermione quickly headed for the set of books regarding potions, and without hesitation she held out the oil lamp, peering through the dust at the many forgotten books that must have been sitting there undisturbed in their slumber for years. She spent a good quarter of an hour searching with no avail; she was beginning to get impatient and worried that she would get caught_. 'And what if Harry wanted to use his cloak, and then notices it went missing? Even if I did get away with it, he'd notice if I put it back tomorrow, and would instantly know that it was me that took it. How many other people know about his cloak? God Hermione, if you're so smart why didn't you think about this in the first place?'_

The urgency was manifesting itself around Hermione, she never realised that there could be so many potions books in the restricted area of the library. Running along, she continued searching for anything to do with recalling forgotten memories or remembering dreams more clearly. She barely glanced at the titles, from 'Lovely Love Potions' to 'Destructive Draughts of Fire', from 'The Perfect Potion That Makes You Perfect' to 'Extremely Hard But Very Efficient Potions', but she couldn't find any that could possibly help her. She bit her bottom trembling lip, she was getting desperate. The shelves were running out fast, and she wasn't about to risk her status as a prefect without finding the book she needed so badly first. 

Suddenly, she found one. She had to double back quickly, afraid that it would disappear from her sight. 'The Key to Your Mind, Remembering What You've Forgotten'

"Perfect!" Hermione wedged the rather small book out carefully from the cramped bookshelf, and wiped away the years off dust that had accumulated on the surface. 

"What's that my sweet? You think that someone is in the restricted section of the library? Well let's just go and have a look and see if we can make a students life miserable." A horrible cackling of a laugh suddenly engulfed the air around a panic stricken Hermione, Filch was heading into the room. Quickly, she hid the book within her robes, and blew the light out. She couldn't risk Filch or Mrs Norris spotting it, the dark would have to help her. 

__

'Oh no! The invisibility cloak! Why did I leave it by the door? This is going to be terribly difficult, you'd better not get caught and ruin everything all because of a stupid dream!' Hermione hid behind a bookcase close to the exit from the restricted section, and tried desperately to calm down her beating heart and slow her breathing so that she could hear where Filch was. 

"Now, what's this?" his voice leered, "A lamp - who's here? Show yourself now; you won't get away in the dark." Hermione leapt for the door, this was her only chance. She ran as quietly as she could, but couldn't help the ragged breaths that escaped from her mouth. Suddenly, she heard a meow behind her, and the pounding of heavy footfalls. 

Hermione could see the cloak; it was barely a few yards away from her. 'Quickly, come on Hermione, you can do it! Don't get caught!' She reached out for the cloak and grabbed it, skidding as she slowed down to throw it over herself as best she could. But then he was right in front of her. He was barely two metres away, looking directly into her horrified brown eyes. _'Oh no oh no oh no! I've been caught! Oh no, I'm going to get into sooo much trouble. Hermione, why are you so stupid?' _

Suddenly without warning, Mrs Norris jumped onto her master's head, trying to get closer to Hermione, her venomous mouth spitting and hissing wildly, claws ready to strike.

"Get off me, you silly cat. I could have sworn that we nearly had them-"

Hermione couldn't hear anymore, she had taken the diversion and ran with all the speed that she could muster into the corridor and as far away from Filch and his cat as she could in the dark. When she was sure that the coast was clear, she slumped onto the cold stone floor, gasping for breath and shaking. She was so close to being caught, yet she had managed to escape. 

"You are so lucky sometimes Hermione," She said to herself. "But how are we going to get back to the Gryffindor tower? I wish I'd taken the map as well!"

************

Ron was sat anxiously in a chair by the roaring fire, wringing his hands over and over

again, whilst Harry paced up and down the room shocked. 

"Who could have taken it?" Ron asked, trying to slice through the tension with a knife. 

"It's not like many people know that you have one. . .I wouldn't put it past Malfoy, he's

not thick. Remember in third year, with the mud and your suddenly appearing head at the 

Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade, he knows!"

"Ron," Harry said for the one hundredth time, "It couldn't be Malfoy, he would be able

to get into the Gryffindor common room anyway, not even if Snape authorised it!

It wasn't him."

"Then who was it? Are you sure that you checked everywhere in your trunk, you

probably just misplaced it-"

"Ron!" Harry was beginning to get sick of his friends babbling. "I know that it wasn't 

there, I checked everywhere. Someone's taken it."

"Well it can't have been Hermione, she went to bed, and she'd never break the rules 

being a prefect, and it couldn't be anyone in our dorm, they wouldn't go through my

trunk without permission."

"Well then who Harry?"

Suddenly the portrait to the common room flung open. "Quick, hide!" Harry whispered to 

Ron. They both jumped behind the armchairs just in time. They watched as the portrait 

shut, no-one had come through. But then-

"HERMIONE!" Ron yelled as she pulled the cloak off herself. 

"W-w-what are y-you two s-still doing up?" she asked. _'Damn Hermione, yet again! You_

escape Filch but you get caught by your best friends, good one!' 

"Let me explain, please" she pleaded, looking Harry directly in the eye. Harry felt a 

sudden turning inside his stomach. _'Stop it'_ he told himself, but it wouldn't go away. 

Something about the way she looked at him. . . 

"Go on then," Harry replied with a small smile. Ron was flabbergasted, he couldn't 

believe Harry was being so calm about the whole thing. 

"Umm, Harry-"

"Shut up Ron, just listen." Ron's mouth fell open.

**************

Time to thank our reviewers:

Lyssa: Don't know whether we've thanked you enough, so have a big virtual hug and a lollipop and keep reading and reviewing! And British Jen will read your fic tonight! 

hpdancer92: Another loyal reviewer! We love you too! Have a big cookie and a hug as well! I don't know how they're going react yet (I wonder if American Jen is keeping stuff from me. . .) 

Fiona: Ahh, you're so sweet too! Thank you! 

Leah: You're another loyal reviewer. Take your share of a hug and you can have a Hershey's or something (ask American Jen, I'm not American I'm british. I would have said have some malteasers hehe! If you know what these are, you must love them!)

Merciful Mother of the Galaxy: Don't worry, there is plenty more too come yet. Join the rollercoaster! 

blue-strawberry52: NO we are not split personalities, we are two Jen's that live on opposite sides of the ocean and we write under one name, JenSquared! Anyway, you are too kind! Next chapter shall be up soon! 


	5. Close Encounters

Disclaimer: I am J.K Rowling and this is exactly what is happening in the next book… don't believe the rumors! JK! British Jen and me wish that we were J.K.R. and that this is what would happen in book five… nope it all belongs to her… lucky duck!

Chapter 5: Close Encounters

Hermione didn't know what to say. She stood there frozen, unable to force any words past her lips. She couldn't tell Harry and Ron about the dream, it would sound too stupid. She wasn't even sure why she let the dream bother her in the first place; after all, she only had had the dream once. Seconds passed, she had to say something quickly before they knew that she was lying.

"Well, you see, I um, left my diary in the library. I didn't want anyone to find it so I had to go get it. But I didn't want to get caught sneaking around and you weren't around, Harry, so I thought I might just borrow your invisibility cloak. 

"Listen Harry, I am really sorry. I should have waited until you were around and asked you if I could use the cloak. I don't blame you if you're angry with me. I _expect_ you to be angry with me. I'll just leave this here and head to my room." Hermione carefully put the invisibility cloak on a chair by the fire and started to her room.

"Hermione, don't leave. I want to talk to you." Harry shifted his eyes to Ron who was absentmindedly staring into space. "_Privately_." It took Ron a few minutes to get Harry's message through his head. He left, slightly disappointed that he was being left out of the conversation, to the boys' dorms.

"Harry, I am really so-,"

"I know Hermione and I forgive you for taking it," he said in a very calm voice.

"But how can you forgive me after what I did? I went into your dorm! I went through your trunk! I stole the only thing you have of your father's from you without permission!" Hermione was trembling slightly, her lips quivering.

"How? Because I know it's not the whole story. There is something that you're not telling me. I know that it is not like you to steal. To go sneaking around unless you're with Ron and I. To threaten your status as a prefect. And all to get a journal! It's just not like you. So tell me, what's wrong?" He stared at her, almost forgetting what they were talking about as her gazed into her amber eyes.

"It's, I can't explain. I can't describe it. It's a private, personal matter. I don't like keeping things from you, you know that, you're my best friend, but I just can't say." Hermione's voice began to crack and her eyes watered, becoming glassy like those of a porcelain doll.

"You're not hurt, are you, Hermione? Did somebody do something to you?" Harry asked, concerned about his best friend's wellbeing.

"No, no it's not something like that," she said. _ The only person hurting me _is_ me_, she thought. Tears flowed down her cheeks in small rivers. Harry wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly against him. Hermione couldn't stand that she wasn't being completely truthful with Harry. She looked into the emerald pools that were his eyes, lost and confused in their trance. The tears continued to stream down her face. Their faces were inches apart; they moved their faces closer from a subconscious force.

Their lips touched, every so lightly. Hermione finally came to terms with what was happening. "I have to go to bed." She pulled away from him and turned away to her room again. This time, Harry didn't stop her. _She needs space; she's really upset. Why was I such an idiot? Why did I kiss her? I probably just ruined our friendship._ He headed to the dorms, hoping that they might be able to forget what happened in the morning.

************

Harry sat staring at the debris that was once his block tower. He then looked back at the kind identity that offered to help him. He smiled warmly back. "Thanks," he said. They sat rebuilding. The minutes went by slowly. Harry looked over at the child again. He noticed something; long-auburn hair, slightly wavy, flowing down the child's back. At least he finally knew that it was a girl. They continued to rebuild. He still couldn't see her face, though he was staring directly at her. "What is your name?" he asked.

"Well, I don't like my first name so you can call me Elizabeth or Liz. It's my middle name," the girl. 

Harry decided to play the same game with her. "I'm James."

************

They sat in silence, rebuilding the tower. Block by block the tower grew taller, better than the one the child had before. Hermione kept to herself, feeling genuinely happy that someone was nice to her and that Dudley, the large child in her class, wasn't bothering him or her for being together. Finally, the silence broke. "What is your name?" asked the child.

Hermione didn't like to use her first name. It wasn't a very common name and most children made fun of her for it. She was happy with her middle name though. "Well, I don't like my first name so you can call me Elizabeth or Liz. It's my middle name."

The child replied to her, "I'm James." Hermione had finally discovered one fact about her friend; her friend was a boy. She could see it now, the messy jet-black hair on his head and the baggy T-shirt that he wore.

************

Harry woke up, the bright sun shining through a window onto his face. He glanced at the canopy of his bed, and rolled over to see a pair of amber eyes staring back at him. He jumped, surprised that Hermione was in the boy's dorm. Looking around the room, he saw that no one else was in the room, they were probably down at breakfast. He looked back at Hermione.

"I need to talk to you." Harry sat up, and invited Hermione to sit on the edge of the bed. She obliged, but sat at the end of the bed, afraid to get close to Harry after last night's events. She didn't know what she would do. True, she did enjoy the kiss, a lot actually. But she was really upset and she hoped that Harry didn't think that she was being weird by kissing him.

"Is it about last night?"

"Yeah, you see Harry about that kiss, well-,"

"Look Hermione, I understand completely. You were really upset and we were both confused. Let's just say it didn't happen."

"Oh, thank you, Harry!" she exclaimed as she reached over and gave him a hug, pulling away quickly before she lost control again.

"Um, Hermione?"

"Yeah, Harry?"

"I kind of just sleep in boxers so if you don't want to be around when I get out of bed, well, you no I get embarrassed easily and-,"

"Oh, right! Sorry Harry, I forgot that you had to get dressed and stuff. I shouldn't even be in here. Someone will get the wrong idea," she said, blushing at the thought of her and him being caught in a predicament like that. She left the room, and Harry got out of bed, stretching before he reached for his robes. What he didn't realize was Hermione peeking through the cracked door.

__

Merlin! Quidditch has been good to him! She stared at his muscles, very defined but nowhere near disgusting like those male body builders. She had to try very hard to resist not breaking down the door and going in for a good snog.

Harry got dressed and sat down on his bed, recalling the dream from last night. Elizabeth. Liz. It seemed so familiar to him yet he couldn't remember an Elizabeth. And yet this girl seemed to be very close to him in his heart. "Who is she?" he asked himself, frustrated.

"Who's who?" Harry looked over to see Ron standing at the door.

"It's nothing."

"Hey, what happened with you and Hermione last night after I left."

"Oh, nothing. We talked. Everything's cool now." Harry didn't lie. He did talk with Hermione and everything was all worked out. He just didn't tell the whole truth.

"What about that kiss?"

"How the heck do _you_ know about that?"

"Well, you see, I, um-,"

"You were spying on us! You were, weren't you? Weren't you?" Harry was turning red. How could Ron have done that? He told Ron that he wanted to have a _private_ conversation and yet Ron was invading the privacy.

"Well, kind of. I left one of my books in the common room and I figured that you guys wouldn't mind if I came in for a second just to pick it up and leave again. Well, I was walking down from the dorms and when I was just about at the common room when I saw you guys kiss. I stopped in my tracks and went back upstairs."

Harry calmed down a bit. It was an accident, Ron just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. "Okay, Ron. I believe you. And as for the kiss. It was nothing. Hermione was upset and I was trying to comfort her. It just happened. We agreed this morning that nothing happened and you better not go telling people about it Ron or I'll have your neck for it." Ron nodded his head in agreement.

************

Hermione sat in the common room, reading Hogwarts: A History for the hundredth time. She was reading about Godric Gryffindor's dream to reunite Slytherin with the other founders, an unsuccessful wish. She remembered her dream, remembering the boy. _What was the name again? James! That's what it was. But how come I can't remember a James. I feel oddly attracted to him in my dream though. Like a really close friend. I need to find out more!_

Harry and Ron entered the room, meeting Hermione by the fire. She looked at them, smiling at Ron and hiding her face from Harry. She still felt a bit embarrassed about kissing him. Harry was the first to speak. "It's Saturday. You guy's know what that means." Ron and Hermione looked at each other and nodded. They left the common room, Hermione in the lead and Harry staring at her beautiful auburn hair from behind.

************

Haha! Cliffy! And now for something completely different…

Thanks to all of our reviewers: British Jen shall thank you all next chapter!!!


	6. Confessions of the Broken Hearted

Disclaimer: Yes, yes, yes, I know this work rivals J.K. Rowling and is almost if not better than her work (You do know that I'm being incredibly sarcastic right? Me, British Jen, as good as J.K.R? Please!) 

A/N: I would like to apologise to American Jen for taking so terribly long to write this, I've had so much work to do recently! But it's all paid off, I got 2A's and an A+ in my last science exam! I'm so happy!

Chapter 6: Confessions of the Broken Hearted

The sun was shining brightly in the sky above Hogsmeade, painting a perfect picture. The village was teaming with life, students were running from one shop to another, their laughter echoing on the walls and roaming the streets. Harry and Ron had dragged Hermione into the new quidditch shop to look at the broomsticks, although Harry's firebolt was still fairly unmatched. Hermione couldn't have been any more bored, she was sure that she would have much more fun in Potions with Snape, if it was possible. 

Harry and Ron were now pouring over the new arrival of quidditch books, admiring the some kind of new broom that was coming out after Christmas. Occasionally they would mumble something of understanding to Hermione, but for the majority of the time they would sit with their jaws hanging open. 

"Oh wow, look at this Hermione!" Ron would gasp, "It comes with ultra streamlined bristles. . . "

"Yeah, but that's not as good as. . ." 

Hermione didn't even bother listening to them. She couldn't believe that they were being so inconsiderate to her feelings. _Neither of them asked what I wanted to do, not even Harry!_ Hermione grimaced, memories of what happened the previous night flowing back into her head. She allowed herself a quick glance at him, smiling slightly_. But he doesn't even like me like that,_ she thought sadly. 

Suddenly, she felt hot pricks tearing at her eyes, and a small trickle running down her cheek. Surprised, she quickly wiped it away harshly. She couldn't let them see her like this. She looked back one last time at him, wiping away more glistening tears before she silently spun around on her heels and ran out of the shop, neither of them noticed she had gone. It would be a while yet before they would notice that she was missing. 

* ************

Hermione glanced around nervously at the busy street, not wanting to run into anyone who knew her; they would only interfere and badger her until she told them what was wrong. She wasn't even sure if she would even be able to tell Ginny, her closest female companion. Having no-one else to turn to, she ran for the only haven that she knew, the small Hogsmeade bookshop. 

The shop was small yet cosy, the walls stacked with books that were practically falling from the shelves because they were so over-filled. There were also stacks of old books littering the floor, pieces of parchment scattered here and there. Hermione gave a small smile to the owner, but headed straight for the back. 

Last time she had come to Hogsmeade, the bookshop had received in a new order of books that were written by wizards and witches but were set in the muggle word and mentioned nothing about the real world of wizards. Hermione loved to read novels, they let her escape to another world and become some truly amazing characters. 

She peered at the sparkling clean covers that were without a crinkle or a crack. The smell of untouched pages wafted up Hermione's nose; she breathed a sigh of relief and let the feeling invigorate her senses. She let her eyes drift shut and imagined the feeling of staying up late and creeping down to the common room to sit by the window and read by candle light, whilst the warmth of the fire spread over her and she got lost in the text of another reality. 

Realising that she was wasting time, Hermione searched through the titles looking for something to grab her attention. She picked out a rather large book, written by a new witch, 'Bee Spellbound'. It was a fantasy book, it told the tale of a young girl whose parents were murdered by an evil warlock and her adventure as she runs from her chasers, 'Trek of the Hunted'. 

"Looks interesting," she told herself as she sat down in an armchair, curling her legs up underneath her. Soon, Hermione had been drawn in by the book and didn't realise that the hours were rolling by with each turn of the page. In fact, she didn't even notice someone sitting in the chair next to her, watching her worriedly. 

"Hermione?" he whispered gently, tapping her lightly on the shoulder. Hermione jumped up, instantly falling out of the book and becoming herself again. 

"Oh," she said, more of her usual self, "It's you Ron. Finally pulled yourself away from your quidditch obsession?" 

"Oh don't be like that! You can't blame us, you're obsessed about books, you don't find us complaining to you when you drag us to the library! Ow!"

Hermione had slapped him playfully on the arm. "You deserved that! The amount of times that you complain when we sit in the library, I loose count within 5 minutes. It can't be helped, I suppose. It wouldn't hurt though to ask me whether I wanted to go to the quidditch shop or not, instead of dragging me in them and leaving me whilst you ogle the newest brooms of hottest stars."

"I know, and Harry and me are sorry." He hesitated as he saw her flinch at his name, something was going on and he knew it. _And I had just made her reasonably happy!_ "Listen, I don't know much about what is going on, but I've brought you a peace offering." He handed her a bag from Honeydukes." Thought you might like a little midnight snack when you're reading."

Hermione smiled and gave him a hug, her eyes twinkling with delight. Ron always knew how to cheer her up. "Thanks Ron, that was really sweet." 

"Now, " he began, looking at her seriously. "Would you like to tell me what's wrong? Or do I have to beat it out of you?" 

Hermione turned away, not sure what she should tell him. Tears were pricking at her eyes again, she couldn't tell him. She couldn't tell him how much she liked Harry more than a friend, and how she had liked him more than a friend for ages. And she couldn't even possibly begin to explain the hurt that she had felt when she had gone to see Harry that morning, ready to tell him how she felt and how long she had waited to kiss him and have him hold her tightly within his arms and protect her from the evil world, only to hear him tell her that it basically didn't mean anything. 

"Hermione?" he prodded gently, taking her small hand in his. "Look, I know about. . .the, umm. . .kiss, last night." He flinched, ready for her to attack him for eavesdropping on something that didn't mean anything. But nothing could have prepared him for the vulnerable, scarred Hermione that turned around and looked him in the eye, hers brimming with tears. 

"Oh! Oh dear, come hear." Ron pulled her into another hug as she wept on his shoulder gently, heaving gentle sobs. He patted her gently on the back, trying hard to comfort her. "It did mean something to you, didn't it?" he asked quietly, he had overheard the entire conversation between his best friends earlier that morning. 

Suddenly, it just also spilled out. Hermione didn't even care what he thought, but she needed to tell someone, bottling it all up was becoming unbearable. Hermione told him everything, everything apart from her dream. That she needed to keep a secret. Ron didn't say anything, he just listened. 

When all her tears had been shed, leaving a very wet patch on Ron's shirt, Hermione felt a lot better. 

"Ron, I-"

"Listen Hermione, I'll keep your secret for you. But you'll have to understand, you need to tell him sometime, you'll only strain the friendship if you don't. I myself believe that Harry didn't mean everything he said this morning-"

"Y-You're not mad?" she whispered, believing he would hate her for her revelation. 

"NO! Why would I be mad? Hermione, you can't deny your feelings, and what kind of best friend would I be if I hated you for liking Harry like that? Anyway, listen Harry's going to be waiting for us in The Three Broomsticks, I'll talk to you later I promise. Now though, we have to go and see Sirius."

Hermione gasped. "Oh no! I totally forgot! Quickly Ron," Hermione grabbed his hand and pulled him to the front counter where she purchased her book, shoving it quickly into her bag along with the chocolates, then ran from the shop dragging Ron behind her, forgetting all about her dream or Harry or the icy rain that was beginning to pound down from the darkened dull sky, if only for a moment or two. They needed to see Sirius and quick! 

End of chapter 6

British Jen's Promised thank-yous: 

Lyssa: It's you again! Well we hope you like this chapter, there's lots of fluffiness coming up, you might need your handkerchief! Ron has a more supporting role at the moment bless him! 

Ice: Did I not give you a cookie? I'm so sorry, have two because I forgot! Thank-you for reviewing! We shall read your story soon, we promise!

hpdancer92: Ooh, we adore chocolate. Ooh, it's yummy yummy in our tummy! Thank you for reviewing again! 

Jo: Hey! Well, as you can tell, Hermione has told Ron about his feelings, and Harry will confess soon I think! Ron will not be neglected in this fic I promise, he is essential! Cheers for reviewing!

Leah: Here's another chapter, we're glad we caught your attention! :)

Canadian Crow: Hehe! Cute, adorable, fluffy, it's all in here! Thanks for your review!

Andres (Spanish 4 Andrew) (potterweirdo6@aol.com): It's the guy I talk to at 7:30 in the morning! As you can see, here is another chapter! Thank you so much for the compliment, we're shedding tears right now! (A-Jen- and you don't have to beg to get a new chapter ;-))

blue-strawberry52: hehe, thanks for your review! 

LyssaQuill: I'm a bit worried about how much kissing American Jen is going to make them go through, and how fluffy-sweet will it be? Time will only tell! Cheers! (A-Jen- there is nothing wrong with a lot of kissing!!!!!)

Vivian Marie: Oh, you can join our Jen Empire! Long live the power of the Jen's! ooh! Yippee! Thanks for reviewing, you're just going to have to wait and see! 

SunnyDae: More Harry/Hermione moments to come soon, you can never get to much tension before the explosion of romance and revelations! 

Sherry: Here's more! ^_^

Muirnin: They will kiss more don't you worry! Thanks for reviewing!

Lime: Unfortunately we are now J.K. Rowling! You are so sweet, your compliments really brightened our day! Thank you so much, we're glad that there are readers enjoying this! As long as there are, we'll keep writing!

ears91: We could drag it on for ages and ages and ages and ages (you get the point!) but you'll just have to keep reading to wait and see! ^_^

LiZz: Thank you! 

If I (British Jen) have forgotten anyone, then I'm terribly sorry! Feel free to e-mail me and I will set it out right, I promise! And on a final note, is anyone annoyed that Harry Potter's eyes in Chamber of Secrets resemble blue and not green? I don't know if it's just me, but I'm rather annoyed that on my DVD they look blue! Feel free to elaborate this point! 

A/N: sorry that the chapter was a bit short… but don't worry… Sirius will be in the next chapter!!!!!


	7. Of Mice and Dogs

Disclaimer: Am. Jen- I still don't understand why this is necessary… I mean everyone in the world, even the people who have never really read HP before knows who all of the stuff belongs to… so what's the point of wasting my time typing it? I'm wasting my time writing this explanation of why I don't think disclaimers are really needed. I'm sick of it! It annoys the heck out of me! You know what else annoys me… when you give the guy at the register a ten and they give you back change for a five! I also hate it when you do your stinkin' homework and then you can't find it when you really need it even though you're _sure_ that you put it in your blue folder, but then you realize that you put in your _other _blue folder which you left at home…

Chapter 7: Of Mice and Dogs

The rain began to fall from the sky more steadily, pounding on their heads and soaking their cloaks. "Hey, Herm… now you can say you've been in your first wet T-shirt contest!" teased Ron.

"Oh, shut up!" scolded Hermione, hitting him so hard on the arm that the bruise appeared almost instantly. They arrived at the Tree Broomsticks to see Harry sitting at a corner table, sipping a large mug of butterbeer. Spotting them, he got up leaving a few sickles behind on the table.

"Where were you Herm?" he asked. He was trying hard not to think about last night's kiss, which was still on his mind.

"Oh, just getting a book," she said smiling at Ron who smiled back at her. "Ron came and got me." Harry caught the smile and began to worry. 

__

What was that for? Do they like each other? Does Hermione like Ron? What did they do at that bookshop that made them smile at each other like that? 

Harry began to feel worse about last night's kiss and was starting to think that there wasn't even the tiniest hint of passion in it. "Come on guys, we have to go see Snuffles," said Hermione, looking around to see if anyone heard, even though she used the code name.

"Right, let's go." Outside the rain was falling ten times as hard as before, hitting them like ice even though it was relatively warm out. Thunder rumbled off in the distance and the large clouds ("Cumulonimbus," stated Hermione boasting some of her pre-Hogwarts knowledge) became darker and more ominous in appearance, nearly resembling the night sky. Somewhere, though it seemed like everywhere, lightning flashed covering the sky as if someone had taken a picture with an enormous camera.

Climbing along the hillside was a bit of a challenge. The rain made the rocks and boulders slippery and hard to grip. Hermione winced every time they heard a large crack of thunder in the air and Ron complained about being wet and how the lightning would strike them dead any second.

Ten or twenty minutes passed before they reached the cave. Sirius stood in front of the tiny entrance, a smile on his face as Harry, Ron, and Hermione staggered towards his with dampened clothes and spirits.

"Hello, Sirius," said Harry, trying to regulate his breathing from the exhausting journey up the rocky slope.

"Hello, Harry. Ron. Hermione. Its great to see you all again." Before anyone could say anything else, a muffled moan echoed from within the cave.

"What was that?" asked Hermione, trying to see through the small entrance hole with no luck.

"_That_ is what I have asked you all here for," replied Sirius, a serious look drawing across his face. A sudden thought of horror struck Harry's mind.

"It's not Buckbeak, is it? He's not sick or hurt is he?" Harry stood waiting for the answer, expecting the worst. Sirius looked at Harry for a few seconds before a large grin cracked across his face and he began laughing, confusing Harry all the more.

"No no no. It's nothing like that. Buckbeak is as healthy as a horse… or an eagle if you want it that way. Follow me, I'll show you." Sirius transfigured into his dog disguise and entered the cave. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had more trouble trying to squeeze through the diminutive introgression. 

Once inside they found Sirius as a man again and they began to wander around through the cave, stopping when they saw Buckbeak. The large hippogriff stood over a lump of something wrapped in ropes, shaking and moaning. Confusion engulfed Harry Ron and Hermione's minds.

"Come on, turn over you pathetic, miserable form of a man." Slowly, the lump rolled over revealing a practically hairless head and a pointed nose. Hermione gasped.

"P…P…Peter?" stuttered Ron.

"How'd you get him Sirius?" asked Harry in surprise.

"Our _pal_, here made the mistake of wandering around these hillsides for the past few weeks. He was trying to figure out a way for Voldemort to get close to you, Harry. I observed him for a while and after I had managed to get some rope I grabbed him as he passed by this cave. Unfortunately, Voldemort might have gotten some information out of the git so I'd watch out for yourself, Harry."

"So, that means that you can turn him in right?" asked Ron. "And you'll be a free man?"

"Yeah, I need a little help from a few people though. Like you guys." Harry pulled Sirius closer to him and spoke in a low voice.

"Why hasn't Wormtail escaped. I mean, couldn't he just transfigure into a rat and get out of here?"

Sirius burst out laughing. "That's a funny story actually, _isn't it, Wormtail_? He tried that once. But he found out quickly that Buckbeak here likes to play with mice, and quite roughly. Nearly lost another finger, didn't you Wormtail?" The small man shook his head.

Harry's head was spinning. Sirius was going to be a free man once Peter was turned in to the ministry. He wouldn't have to hide anymore. He'd probably buy himself a house after getting a job. And… Harry's heart began to beat faster at his newest thought: Harry would finally be able to leave the Dursley's and live with his godfather. "When are you going to go to the ministry?"

"Today, actually. You three are going to come with me. We just need to wait for one more person before we leave." Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other quizzically.

"Who else needs to be here?" asked Hermione.

"I do," said a familiar voice from the entrance of the cave.

************

We are SOOOOO sorry that this chapter was so short. The next chapter will be much longer though (eyes British Jen who has the job of writing the next chapter). The following chapters will also have much more romance and the dreams will become more frequent. Thanks for reading please review!

And don't forget to check out our other solo stories:

American Jen- Pen name = FlyingSheepAirlines

British Jen- Pen name = DreamWeaver (the one with the email: TaurusDragon1788@aol.com)

And now for the thank yous:

Lyssa: hey, we luv ya… thanks 4 reviewing… don't worry about Ron, we'll set him up w/ someone later… t2ul8r 

danfan: No, Ron doesn't have a thing for Hermione… he was just being a good friend… thanks for reviewing

jandl: thanks for reviewing we're glad you like it so much

LiZz: Never fear… more H/Hr moments will be here soon… what kind of people would we be if we didn't have any in the story? And of course they'll find out eventually…

Leah: a book? Wow… maybe… hmmm… thanks for reviewing… and B-Jen isn't here right now but if she was she'd definitely thank you for commenting on her acing of the exam.

blue-strawberry52: yeah that eye thing really bugs us… bugs? I hate bugs… they drive me crazy… crazy? I was crazy once. They put me in a circular room and told me to sit in the corner. That bugs me… bugs? I hate bugs… they drive me crazy… crazy? I was crazy once… (Sorry to Emily for stealing your thing) thanks for reviewing!

Lily Rose Evans: thank you so much… keep reviewing!

Lime: more moments to come… thanks for reviewing we love you!

Muirnin: we're glad to see him being sensitive too… thanks

JediMasterWhit: thank you … happy to know that you like it

Sherry: well more is here… thanks for reviewing

Teenagedreamer: interesting and satisfying… thank you!

ears91: thanks… I guess we are… and about Ron… we're gonna hook him up w/ someone so he won't be jealous… thanks for reviewing!

hpdancer92: oh so that's why… it still bothers me though… and B-Jen… it's the principle of the thing… and chocolate… yummy… don't mind if we do… thanks for reviewing!

Drawwilhoit: thank you… no errors?… not one? That's funny cuz some people think we need to work on grammar and stuff…… oh well… thank u anyway!

tomzgurl77: plot bunnies always hang around….. they visit us a night while we sleep but they leave a mess on the floor… thanks for reviewing!

If anyone is missing from our list then we are terribly sorry (A-Jen looks around to see if anyone is listening… its all B-Jen's fault if there are missing peoples…)


	8. Melted Feelings

Disclaimer: No! No! NO! I don't own anything!

a/n: I a terribly terribly terribly terribly sorry for taking absolutely and horribly ages to write and update this story! My enormous sorry's go out even further to American Jen who probably hates me right now but I have been so busy recently and even when I thought I had this done and dusted, I go and fall ill and I'm stuck in bed too sick to move! Slap me, kick me, spit at me (maybe not the last one!), I deserve it! 

Chapter 8: Melted feelings 

"Professor Dumbledore!" Hermione squealed excitedly. Standing at the entrance of the cave, his form emerged in darkness, their headmaster loomed over them. In that moment, a cold chill engulfed the shelter and crawled across their skins, relishing in their sudden fear. Hairs prickled on their arms, knuckles turned white. But as soon as it had appeared, it had gone. 

"Harry, Ron, Hermione," he acknowledged gravely. His face was etched with worry and concern, though Harry couldn't understand. 

"Why aren't you happy, sir?" Harry asked "I mean, now that we can turn Peter in, Sirius' name can be cleared! This is the best news I've had in ages." 

Dumbledore's face fell even further, if it was possible. A long silence ensued, uncomfortable and deafening. Sirius stood masked in the corner, whilst the professor lit a fire to warm out their sopping wet clothes. Within minutes, he had conjured up 5 steaming mugs of butterbeer and a plate of cakes. 

"There's no point in standing there," he told them, inviting them to sit down with a smile. "I've arranged an appointment with the ministry for early this evening. They won't see us until then. We might as well have a snack now whilst it rains." Ron and Harry didn't need any more encouragement, and Sirius hadn't eaten in a very long tie. Before long they were all seated around the fire eating cakes and war pastries. 

It was a very merry time for all of them. They had all forgotten about Peter who lay wrapped up and silent in the darkest and coldest part of the cave, left in his misery to hear the gentle cracking of the burning fire and the smells of delicious food that teased his nose. Sirius told them all of his plans after his name would be cleared. Harry was lost in his own thoughts of never having to live with the Dursley's again and hate the summer holidays. Dumbledore, well no-one really knew much about what he was thinking about. He just smiled warmly, the fire illuminating his old yet jolly face. 

Hermione sat in silence next to Ron, picking at her food slowly, not really hungry. She listened carefully to what was being said, but remained silent. She was happy for Harry, truly she was. But she couldn't keep her thoughts in check, and the heat of the fire wasn't helping. Her mind was beginning to cloud over and she felt very tired. The air was too stuffy for her liking; she needed some cold, fresh air. 

"Excuse me," she interrupted. "I'm just going to stand outside for a while, it's too hot in here." She smiled politely before she quickly hurried from the cave. 

The cold breeze rippled through her hair and lashed across her face, tinting her nose and ears pink. The sky was cloudy and dark, Hermione noticed far down below the pretty orange glow that emanated from Hogsmeade. It annoyed her, and at that very minute in time Hermione hated the fact that she was so close to it. She wanted to be as far away as possible from Hogsmeade and Hogwarts, Harry and Ron, her schoolwork, the library, in fact, Hermione was quite sure that she didn't even want to be a witch at that moment. 

Harry definitely didn't like her at all in the way that she had hoped, prayed, dreamed that he would. She was pretty sure that he didn't even like her as a friend anymore, the way that he couldn't even bring his gaze to meet hers. Throughout the rest of the afternoon he had blatantly ignored her, not once speaking to her. She had done her best at first, trying hard to try and ease the tension that was so thick even the sharpest knife could not cut it. But he refused to take the hook that she was offering him, and though she hated to admit defeat, Hermione still had her pride and if Harry didn't want to be at least her friend any more, then fine. He could have it his way.

Hermione was so wrapped up in her misery that she failed to notice that it had started to rain again, albeit a light shower. It fell like ice, it was almost snow. It fell lightly into her hair, speckling it white and silver, before it slowly melted and was gone forever. 'Pretty much how I wish my life would be like, be here one moment and gone the next' Hermione used to herself, hugging her dap cloak closer around herself. Knowing that if she stayed outside any longer it might as well be seen as an act of suicide, Hermione made her way slowly back inside. 

The sound of laughter rang like bells in her ears; she could see the shadow of the flames dancing with the darkness. Obviously she hadn't been missed. Hermione thought she might as well return to the castle, but then she remembered that Sirius and Ron were still her friends, and Sirius would need all the support that he could get. 

"There you are," Ron yelled, Hermione detected faint hints of worry etched in his voice. "You've been gone for ages! Aren't you cold?" She nodded warily, now relishing the heat from the fire. A quick glance told her that Sirius and Dumbledore were sat in the opposite corner, deep in discussion, oblivious to the life around them. She also didn't fail to notice Harry's eyes watching her intently, and she was sure that she could detect some sort of flicker of emotion in the before she forced herself to glance away. _It was nothing you idiot_, she told herself firmly. _You have to face facts that he will never like you in that way_.

"Sorry," she uttered to Ron, too depressed to listen to his mindless moans and groans. "Got swept away in my thought, thinking about Christmas and such. . ."

Harry heard the pointed way in which she seemed to force the last words out, stabbing each and everyone into his skin where the pain ran slowly through his body. It took a degree of mental control that Harry had no idea that he possessed to keep himself from screaming out loud what he was feeling. He could tell the way that Hermione had stormed off earlier that she couldn't stand the sight of him anymore; he had obviously made a mistake last night. _If only I hadn't told her that it meant nothing,_ he screamed at himself. _If only I hadn't been such a damn coward and told her the bloody truth. How come I can fight the most powerful and evil wizard that this world has ever seen, but I can't tell my best friend that I love her more than words can say! _

It was no use, but no matter how much he screamed and yelled and tortured himself, Harry knew that there was no chance for him now to repair the damaged past. He was going to have to live with his mistakes and tell Hermione that he was terribly sorry for the hurt and ruin he had caused their friendship. He would tell her that he didn't have a clue what had come over him, but if it had affected their friendship he was dreadfully sorry and wished more than anything to be best friends again. 

Yes it was another lie, but he had told so many now what was the point in telling the truth? He shivered slightly, the fire was beginning to die down and the coldness spread across the entire cave like a cheetah across the plains of Africa. _Maybe if I-_

"Are you ready Harry?" A heavy weight fell onto his shoulder, lifting Harry away from his torturing thoughts. He looked up and saw a very excited Sirius. Okay, he had to admit that there were bags under his eyes, his face was dirty and his hair long and greasy, and the fire that burned in his eyes was dying out, like the glint in the eyes of a lion trapped within a cage at the zoo. Harry knew that he had to stop thinking about himself and Hermione, and more about Sirius. If this fell through. . . 

"Ready as I'll ever be," he replied, giving his godfather a war hug. "Aww Sirius, you really need a bath. You stink!" he joked, knowing that that was the best way to lighten the mood and hide his feelings. 

"You know Harry, you don't look a pretty picture yourself! Our hairs all a mess, your clothes have expanded ten ties and you're looking a little muddy! I say we're quite alike at the moment."

"If everybody is ready," Dumbledore cut in, his cold and hard demeanour now in charge. He held out a Danish pastry in front of him, holding onto the forgotten traitor that had lay silent for the whole afternoon. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Sirius all held on tightly, waiting patiently. They could hear the world spinning around them before they could feel it, before they could see it. The world around them began to fade, and the grey and the black seed to swarm into one another. After what felt like an eternity, things seemed to spin back into perspective. Harry noticed with a grin that they were standing outside a large wooden door, the words 'Ministry of Magic' printed proudly in black. 

Dumbledore knocked lightly on the door, waiting patiently for a reply. It was all that Harry, Ron and Hermione could do but to storm through the door and turn Peter in as quickly as possible. But a feeling deep inside Professor Dumbledore told him that it may not be as easy as they thought.

"How long do we have to wait?" Ron asked impatiently, glancing around at their surroundings rather unappreciatively. "I could be playing chess or-"

"Ron!" Hermione hissed, slapping him on the arm. Ron closed his mouth, realizing what he had just said. Dumbledore knocked on the door again, this time a little bit more harshly. He didn't have to wait for very long. A loud creek disturbed the silence as a small and rather round wizard poked his nobly nose around the door. 

"Ah yes," he whispered, his words almost slurred, Harry decided almost instantly that he wasn't a wizard you'd want to cross, despite his size. "Albus Dumbledore, do come on in. We have a lot to discuss. And- ah, Mr Sirius Black, we've been searching for you for a rather long time. I guess we'll be hearing from you as well. Do come on in."

He vanished behind the large door, pulling it back with him. What he revealed was nothing of what Harry would have thought the Ministry of Magic to be like. He had no idea that there would be boxes littered all along the hall, with papers spilling out by the dozen. At the end of the hall there was a rather old fashioned yet rather impressive oak staircase that led up to another set of doors. 

"If you'll follow me," he drawled, Harry was beginning to dislike him even more and more. He hurried off, heading straight for the stairs. 

"This is it!" Sirius whispered excitedly. "I'm going to be free!" If only he knew that it wasn't that simple. 

************

Sorry it took so long for this chapter to come out. Just so everyone knows, I (American Jen) do not hate British Jen for not having the chapter sooner. It wasn't her fault that she was sick. Hopefully, the next chapter will be up soon…. And more fluff soon to come!

Also, I have school stuff to do so I can't do the proper thank you things so all I have time to say is THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS REVIEWED AND READ THE STORY.

PS: I WANT TO ASK YOU ALL TO CHECK OUT MY (American Jen) STORY UNDER THE NAME FlyingSheepAirlines AND BRITISH JEN'S STORY UNDER THE NAME DreamWeaver!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	9. The Ministry Meeting

Disclaimer: We don't own a thing other than the plot.

Chapter 9: The Ministry Meeting

The staircase seemed to go on forever, twisting and spiraling in every direction. Harry couldn't believe the length. He thought that the Hogwarts staircases were treacherous, but now he realized that they were footstools compared to these. Hermione walked in awe as well; confused by the shear physics of it all. She could have sworn that the Ministry of Magic was only three or four stories, but they must have climbed ten or twenty flights.

Finally the staircase ended, leading to a set of mahogany doors. Behind the doors was a vast boardroom. In the center of the room was a table rivaling that of the house tables in the Great Hall. At least one hundred seats bordered the table, about twenty-five of them filled. At the far end of the table sat the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. Several other people were scattered around.

Harry scanned over the room, most of the faces unfamiliar to him. The Ministry members seemed stern, smiles non-existent. Harry suddenly felt his heart drop. What if they didn't let Sirius free, even with the evidence? Fudge stood up. "Take a seat. We will begin momentarily." Harry, Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore, Sirius, and Peter, still bound with rope, sat down at the end of the large table.

"Well, you say that you have proof that Mr. Black has been innocent all theses years. Explain," said Fudge.

"Well," started Dumbledore. "We have the real culprit of the killing those many years ago."

"Oh, you do. Enlighten us, Professor."

"Seated next to Sirius is none other than Peter Pettigrew."

"Dumbledore, I was not born yesterday. Everyone knows that Peter Pettigrew died in the incident. And you expect me to believe that this man sitting before us is he. I am already doubting your case."

Ron suddenly stood up. "It is him! He was my rat! It is him! He never died!"

"Mr. Weasley, would you please take a seat!" scolded Fudge. "What do you mean he was a rat?"

"If I may, Sir, I would like to explain," said Harry. "You see, Pettigrew is an unregistered Animagus. The day of the murders, he slipped away as a rat, leaving one of his fingers behind and making him appear to have been killed. He continued to stay in rat form and became Ron's pet without him ever knowing until the other year. Ever since he has been assisting Voldemort. He was the one that killed all of those people and left Sirius at the scene to be caught. Sirius was trying to stop him from getting away after revealing my parents' location to Voldemort!"

"A convincing argument Harry, but a story is not evidence. I need proof to support your wild claims."

"The evidence is in my very pocket," stated Dumbledore. All heads turned to him. From within his robes, he pulled out a small vial. "I have here some Veritaserum. This will be enough evidence once we feed it to Peter."

"Before you give that potion to him I must advise that it be tested to prove a true truth potion. I hope you are not offended but I don't want to find that you are playing tricks, Dumbledore."

"Test it as you wish." A wizard approached Dumbledore to get the Veritaserum. He left through another door. There were no more discussions. They sat in silence waiting for the potion to come back. Minutes passed. This was it. Once the potion was used on Pettigrew, Sirius would be proven innocent and would finally be free.

More time passed. Harry was becoming anxious. What if there was something wrong with the potion? Would they dismiss the case and drag Sirius back off to Azkaban? Finally the man came back. "It is a real Veritaserum. It may be used," he announced.

"Very well. Feed him the potion and I will ask the questions," said Fudge. As the potion drained down Peter's throat, the Minister traveled to the other end of the table where Harry and company were settled. "What is your name?"

"Peter. Peter Pettigrew." The board members began to speak to each other in small whispers.

"Did you kill all of those people back after Voldemort lost his power?"

"Yes."

"Are you an unregistered Animagus?"

"Yes. I become a rat."

"Did you work for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

"Yes, and I still do."

"Was Sirius Black at all responsible for the murders?"

"No, I killed those people. He was trying to get me after I gave Lily and James Potter's location."

"To the Dark Lord?"

"Yes."

"I see. I guess that you are telling the truth Dumbledore. Mr. Black is innocent after all. Sirius?"

"Yes, Sir?" he responded eagerly.

"You are free. Live your life. I am sorry for the mistake we made. However, you will be watched for the next year. I have to do this for the safety of the people. Mr. Pettigrew will be spending the rest of his life in Azkaban where he belongs."

"Thank you!" he said excitedly. Smiles crossed everyone's faces.

"Come everyone. I have a portkey back to my office. We have much to discuss." Dumbledore pulled out a watch. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Sirius grabbed on to it. In a matter of seconds, they were being pulled in a wild vortex. Dumbledore's office materialized before them. Everyone took a seat. "Well, I think we should all pat our selves on the back for that. Now, I would like to tell you some exciting news. Sirius has asked to be your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Harry, Hermione, and Ron grinned. "Really?" asked Hermione. "That would be so great!"

"Second, I would like to discuss summer plans. Now, Sirius, as I am sure, will be buying a home soon. And I am sure that Harry would love to live with him. I trust Sirius will be able to protect Harry better than anyone else could. But first, we have to seek permission from the Dursleys."

Harry was ecstatic. "Yes! I get to live with Sirius!"

"Harry, you will only live with him is the Dursleys have nothing against it."

"Like I said, I get to live with Sirius!" Everyone laughed at this. Harry's life was starting to look up. He was going to leave the Dursleys forever. His Godfather was free and would be living with him, plus being his DADA teacher. Nothing could possibly go wrong.

************

Note from American Jen:

I'm sorry for three things:

#1- it took a long time to get this chapter out… I feel bad but I couldn't do anything with it due to a killer school project

#2- the chapter is short… I know… I just couldn't get a good transition for another part so it has to wait for the next chapter… the next chapters will be much longer and more fluff is DEFINETELY PROMISED for the next chapter.

#3- No reviewer thank you stuff this chapter but will be in the next…sorry but time is limited… I had to get this chapter out ASAP

Thanks anyway for reading and thanks to all that reviewed.

DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT OUR OTHER STORIES:

JEN: FlyingSheepAirlines JEN: DreamWeaver (the one with the email: TaurusDragon1788@aol.com) 


	10. Author's Note

Authors Note  
  
Hello again wonderful readers! It's British Jen here, and I would like to apologise to everyone waiting for the next chapter of this story because it's all my fault. Unfortunately, unlike all you lucky Americans out there, I'm not on summer vacation yet, I still have 3 more weeks of school and I am swamped with coursework and exams. It's not a very good excuse but there is no possible way that I can write another chapter until I get my work done. But I promise that as soon as I get my arse in gear I will write an extremely long chapter for you all!  
  
Thank-you so much for all your patience, the wait won't be much longer I promise you. You might want to read some of our individual fan-fiction whilst you're waiting: "Harry Potter and the Spell of the Sirens" by Flying Sheep Airlines (American Jen) or "Whisper in the Dark" by Gothic Princess (aka me!).  
  
Once again I'm sorry to keep you all waiting; I'll make it up to you all soon I promise.  
  
Lots of love,  
  
Gothic Princess  
x~X~x 


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